The present invention relates to temperature regulating apparatus, and, more preferably, to a wireless temperature regulating apparatus for increasing and decreasing airflow in a forced-air duct type system on command from a remote thermostat.
While central heating and air conditioning has provided for a comfortable environment there are still some drawbacks. In particular, a duct system distributes the cooled or heated air throughout a structure. As the air travels through the ducts and exits into various rooms, it does not distribute evenly. The rate of airflow exiting an air duct in one room may be tremendous, while at another the airflow may be negligible. As a result, certain rooms or areas of a structure may be cooler or hotter than others.
In the past, portable air conditioning units or space heaters have been used in order to further cool or heat individual rooms respectively. This has proven to be a costly solution with inferior results. Rooms tend to become over heated or over cooled with the use of space heaters and portable air conditioners.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that will work with and improve the overall performance of the existing central heating and air conditioning of a structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cost-effective solution to eliminate the problem of having an over or under conditioned room by controlling the air flow from a duct into that room by way of a remote thermostat using radio frequency signals.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a central heating and air conditioning performance enhancing apparatus that is easy to install.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that will maintain the temperature at a desired temperature setting or range without massive fluctuations in temperature.
Other objects and features will become readily apparent when the disclosure is read in combination with the drawings and appended claims.
What is disclosed is a temperature regulating apparatus comprising, means for controlling the rate of airflow supplied from a central heating ventilation and air conditioning system exiting a duct into a selected area, means for transmitting radio frequency command signals in response to a change in temperature from a predetermined setting, means for receiving the radio frequency command signals transmitted from the transmitting means and supplying power to the airflow rate regulating means, and means for selecting the radio frequency to be transmitted and received by the transmitting and receiving means respectively.
In a preferred embodiment, the airflow rate controlling means comprises a damper having a housing, a blade pivotally mounted within the housing, a motor to rotate the blade about its pivotal axis to an open position when supplied with power, and a return spring biasing the blade in a closed position when the motor is not in operation. The damper may further comprise a pressure relief system preventing the blade to return to a fully closed position to minimize pressure build up within the duct system.
In another embodiment, the airflow rate controlling means comprises a duct fan having a housing, and a motorized fan mounted within the housing, the motor rotating the fan when supplied with power.
In yet another embodiment, the airflow rate controller comprises a duct fan and damper connected to one another in series, and the selected radio frequency of the duct fan and damper receivers are identical in order to receive command signals from a single radio frequency transmitter.
The transmitting means comprises a portable programmable thermostat and radio frequency transmitter in the preferred embodiment. The transmitter transmits a radio frequency command signal in response to the thermostat detecting a difference between the ambient temperature and the programmed temperature setting to activate or deactivate the airflow rate controller.
Also, in the preferred embodiment, the receiving means comprises a radio frequency receiver, which supplies or cuts-off power to the airflow rate controlling means upon receiving a radio frequency command signal from the transmitting means.
The radio frequency selecting means of the preferred embodiment comprises a channel selector switch assembly having an n number of switches providing 2n number of unique radio frequency transmission codes that can be transmitted and received by the transmitting and receiving means so that a number of individual damper and duct fan systems can operate within a single structure without interfering with one another""s operations.
In a preferred embodiment, the channel selector switch assembly is comprised of 4 switches providing for 24 or sixteen unique radio frequency transmission codes that can be transmitted and received by the transmitting and receiving means.
The temperature regulating apparatus may further comprise means for deactivating the regulating means when the heating ventilation and air conditioning system is not in operation. In the preferred embodiment, the deactivating means comprises at least two thermostatic switches.